


Unwanted Fusion

by The_Darker_Side_ofThings



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Gen, Historical Fantasy, I'm Bad At Tagging
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-20
Packaged: 2021-03-23 17:20:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30058896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Darker_Side_ofThings/pseuds/The_Darker_Side_ofThings
Summary: The six bosses aim to fire their weapons but are summoned by Giovanni right as they execute the destruction. Something seems wrong, though, as they find themselves in the middle of nowhere with no food, water, or Pokémon.When they find stones in an eerie temple, they might be able to sell them for a way back home. However, not all that glitters is gold.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 12





	1. Painful Beginnings

The terror was thick as their plans were finally pulled off. So many deaths for the plans of one man’s ambitions; one man for each region, that is. Stars would be misaligned, landmasses would be washed away, oceans destroyed, populations evaporated, and the screams of thousands would be silenced all at once. 

Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, and Lysandre knew this moment would be too true to exist, their ideas of what they wanted finally becoming reality. 

But, like falling awake from a bad dream, those who stood in power felt the ground crumble under themselves as if the earth itself was punishing those who abused it. Cyrus, however, was taken by the shadows as if the galaxies wanted to punish him rather than the earth. 

Of course, this was Giovanni’s cause, to summon everyone to him. However, right as he called them by the science of Ultra Wormholes, he felt the ground under his feet crumble away like frail bread. The walls around him shredded apart and Giovanni pawed the air as he was suddenly tumbling backward, the roar of both the earth and sky angrily lashing at the mafia leader as he had no choice but to fall into the chasm, darkness shrouding him. 

* * *

It was a warm, sleepy day of spring; the sun was brightly shining ahead while there were small hints of clouds that lingered in feeble wisps. The breeze calmed the heat that cooked the field where six, unconscious men were sunk in tall grass that rippled with each breeze. It was truly a calming, peaceful atmosphere. 

Giovanni sat up, rubbing his head and making leaves and dirt flutter out of his hair. He tensed as he saw the other five around him in no special pattern; they must have fallen in the same style. 

“Hey, wake up,” Giovanni said in a quiet voice, almost as if something would hear him and attack if he spoke any louder. He shook Maxie’s shoulder, and the Magma leader groaned and curled up tightly. “Wake up, Maxie.” 

He tried on the pirate, who made a face, eyes squinting open. 

“What...” 

Archie sat up quickly, looking around, shocked. “Where are we? Giovanni?” 

“I don’t know,” Giovanni said as he started rocking Cyrus awake, whose eyes flashed open as if he was doing nothing but taking a peaceful doze and was already partly awake. 

“Alright! Alright!” Maxie shouted as he sat up, glaring at Archie as the pirate was giving his friend a Wet Willie, grinning widely. “Geez...” 

“It seems we are in a new land,” Cyrus said he sat up, scanning the environment. “There’s a steeple far off.” 

Lysandre stood up, looking around. 

“I see it. We should use our Pokémon to fly ahead—” His hand slapped his side, which was lacking his Pokéballs. “What?” 

Archie checked himself with the same results, and the others immediately followed suit as the pirate spoke. 

“My Pokémon are gone, too.” 

“Does that mean we have to walk the _entire_ way?” Ghetsis snarled, his hand tightening into a fist. 

“Well, what could possibly go wrong?” Archie asked, and everyone stared at him as if he just summoned a curse. 

“The steeple is our only guide,” Cyrus said, breaking the suddenly tense air. “It means someone had to build it, and that someone would need help from others. Civilization is that way.” 

“What if it’s abandoned?” Maxie asked, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the sun as he squinted to see the steeple poking out of the distance. 

“It would at least mean shelter,” Giovanni said irritably as the sun was beating down on his body and making him sweat in the suit, which was a feeling he disliked immediately as his clothes stuck to his skin. “And that would at least be a start.” 

With collective grunts of agreement, the six picked themselves up and wandered to the steeple, noticing how the entire world around them seem uninhabited. 

“Maybe we got our heads hit in a massive earthquake,” Maxie suggested as they walked, thankful the grass was forgiving to his feet as the pain grew in each step. 

“And we all ended up here?” Ghetsis grumbled. 

“Maybe this is some form of purgatory,” Lysandre suggested, unaware that Maxie started using him to block the sun, hurrying to keep in step with his shadow. 

“I don’t think Arceus is that forgiving,” Archie replied as he stumbled over a knot in the grass and regaining his balance. “Is it?” 

“I guess we’re finding out now,” Giovanni hissed, sweat forming on his brow. 

The walk was an arduous one; their legs grew tired and the sun continually mocked them as they could only travel their own pace in the grassy planes. 

“Where are we?” Lysandre finally asked after the sun slowly shifted from one side of the sky to the other, making the shadows trail in front of them. At least it wasn’t in their eyes, anymore. “I don’t recognize any of this.” 

“Sinnoh,” Cyrus said, pointing to jagged mountaintops in the hazy distance of fog. “Looks like Mt. Coronet.” 

Everyone squinted as the peaks of the mountain shifted in and out of view, forever standing mystically in the distance. 

“But the land we are in does not seem familiar in Sinnoh.” 

“It could be Mt. Chimney, but this land does not seem familiar for Hoenn, either.” 

Finding it was easier to reserve their breathing for walking, everyone went silent after a few broken sentences or things like, “this doesn’t look familiar,” and, “maybe we’re on a new piece of land, somehow?” 

The longer they walked, the cooler it became as the sun started to sink below some clouds, and the steeple just started breeching the horizon enough to reveal was part of some sort of temple, as the grandeur roof stood proudly underneath two smaller steeples flanking the biggest one. 

“We’re almost there,” Archie urged, stumbling once again in the tall grass. 

Large stained-glass windows started glittering in the sunset; they were almost at the border of the temple’s land. They found a path that was so neglected that it constantly vanished in the overgrown weeds, only a few patches of dirt forming a broken line. 

“I hope it has water,” Lyandre said as his voice was dry. They could see the large entrance shut tight, almost foreboding as it stood under the yellow glow of the setting sun. 

“It better,” Archie said with hope. “Or at least a well, or rain, or—” 

“People,” Maxie cut in as they finally slowed at the temple. It was large and proud; the walls were made of a pale gray stone that didn’t have any moss clinging to it, giving the impression that it was well-cared for. The building looked in excellent condition, while the world around it looked empty and grassy, making an alarming contrast. They could see no other buildings around it, making the temple’s well-preserved form a mystery. 

While most in the group thought it was more of a temple, it held the pristine foundation of an elegant castle, waiting for the return of the royal family inside. Lysandre seemed drawn to it as he gazed at the stained glass, mutely reaching for the ancient, wooden double doors before slowly walking towards the building. 

“It might be dangerous,” Maxie said as he quickly tagged behind. “Lysandre, this could be some sort of ancient cult or something.” 

“This must be someplace in Kalos I must have missed,” was all he breathed as he grabbed the circular handles and pulled the doors open. The creaked so loud that Giovanni swore this would attract attention, and thought that, if it did, that meant people would be able to guide them home. 

Light spilled into the room and dust particles flew violently through the sunlight as if they were battling to move the most actively, trying to avoid settling back down for another eternity. 

Maxie’s eyes watered as they dried almost instantly, blinking. 

“There’s so much dust.” 

“Look!” Archie shouted as he poked his head between Lysandre and Maxie, thrusting a pointer finger to the back of the building where a cloud of dust was slowly wafting away. Through the orange hue of the sunset clogged with dust, they could see a wall dedicated to entirely scribes, covering the entire backside of the building from the floor to the ceiling and wall-to-wall. 

Aside from the scrawls that looked like a blindfolded sculpturer was carving in chicken scratch, there were six stones 

All six men hesitantly magnetized to the wall, looking at the etchings and frowning as they all struggled to decipher them. 

“This is not ancient Sinnoh dialect,” Cyrus said in the silence. 

Their gazes trailed from the scribbled markings to the bottom of the writing, were, bordering the bottom of the stone to the floor, where a line of fancy, expensive-looking stones. 

“We should take them,” Ghetsis said as he hurried over to kneel down and scan the stones with his eye. “We can use them for money.” 

“That doesn’t seem wise,” Giovanni pondered, tapping his chin. “There’s a reason this temple is still standing while there is no one around it.” 

“Then why is the interior abandoned while the outside is untouched?” Maxie asked, gesturing to their footprints tracked through the inches of dust on the floor. 

“We better not be desecrating a sacred temple,” Lysandre said as he looked around suddenly as if something was going to swoop down on them. 

“This one looks like a raindrop!” Archie called out, pointing to a stone that was, indeed, a shape of a tear. 

“We can use them for money,” Cyrus said as he walked over to the five, a stone in his hand. 

“Cyrus! Are you mad?!” Maxie hissed, his eyes darting to the indent in the wall that no longer held the stone. 

“If these stones were needed so badly,” Ghetsis spat. “People’ll be guarding this place. Besides, Cyrus has a point for pawning these off to any sucker who has to help us.” 

Archie took the chance to swipe the tear-shaped stone, while Maxie hesitantly plucked the nearest one. Lysandre took another look around the building before hesitantly taking a stone for himself. 

Archie stared at his stone fondly; it was a mixture of blues that mingled together in a wonderful hue that didn’t clash with the blood orange light that was allowed in from the doors still opened. 

Maxie seemed pleased with his stone; it was layered with different sheets of rocks thin as paper as it held some semblance of a leaf. It could have some worth if he needed to sell it. 

Ghetsis was either displeased or disgusted; his had a nice shade of a dark purple that had an incredibly glassy sheen all around it as if it were recently polished. However, it had been split halfway through, preventing it from becoming a perfect circle. 

Cyrus stared blankly at his; unlike Ghetsis’s, his stone was a perfect orb about the size of a marble. It was completely black, but the dying sunlight made a thousand speckles of light fractures sprinkle in his stone, making it look like a minuscule galaxy with glowing stars. 

Lysandre was content with his; it wasn’t the biggest, but it was the most attractive one there, with a red sheen evenly coating every bit of it. It was so shiny that Lysandre could see his face in the faint reflection of the shade of red. He could see his canines looked rather large in it, though, must be how the stone was warping his face... 

Giovanni stuffed his stone in his pocket. This was no time to gaze longingly at jewelry when there were more important things at hand. 

No sooner did the stone hit the bottom of his pocket when it burned his leg, searing his skin and making him claw in vain to tear it out. 

“Agh!” 

He heard gasps of pain from others as they too tried to let go of the riches in their hands. He saw Maxie furiously shake his open palm, but the gem was burning through his skin, glowing brightly. Lysandre was trying to yank off his glove, but his gem was melting through the cloth as if it were ice. 

The chapel doors suddenly slammed shut with such loud groans they made all of Giovanni’s inside rumble. The dust furiously billowed around, so thick and so violent that it blocked the orange sunset through the stained glass, making the temple grow dark. 

Giovanni heard a cry, of terror or pain, he did not know as the world around him shattered on more, the floor falling away under their feet and the roof threatening to crush the six under it. He heard glass shattering and the ancient stone wall breaking apart as he fell back once more into unknown darkness, tumbling in a void of complete silence. 


	2. Bolvar and Deborah

"There we go..." 

Giovanni felt something damp and cold mop his forehead, then the sound of splashing water. 

"Look at his _clothes..."_

"Get me more water." 

Giovanni's eyes opened to stare at a wall of straw that filled his vision. He turned a bit to see a rather Victorian-looking woman leaning over him. A small girl ran off, giggling. 

"Woah!" Giovanni gasped as he jolted up, slapping away the woman's hands, and saw that he wasn't looking at a wall of straw; it was a ceiling. Now that he was sitting upright, the building looked like it was made by a mason. The windows didn't even have glass, and he could see the kitchen from where he sat. 

"Easy, sir!" She gasped, gently putting a hand on Giovanni's shoulder, urging him to lay back down. "You had quite the ordeal when we found you. The Mandibuzz almost gotten to you before we did." 

"Where am I?" Giovanni asked, rubbing his face. 

"You're in the humble town of the South," she said politely, wringing out the cloth. 

"The hell is that name?" 

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking mildly surprised. 

"South?" 

"Yes. Now, I am Miss Deborah. What's yours?" 

"Giovanni. Where're the others?" 

Giovanni turned himself to leave the rather stiff bed, standing on his sore feet. 

"You mean the... odd looking ones?" 

Giovanni nodded, walking over to the window, surprised to see the sun already sinking, almost mocking the Rocket leader with the blood orange hue painting the skies as it was the last form of the sun he saw. 

"They're outside, helping with dinner." 

"You mean we're staying the _night?"_ Giovanni asked, disgusted. _"Here?"_

"In the barn. The... gaunt one is quite the negotiator." 

_"Cyrus?"_

Nothing felt real as Giovanni allowed himself outside, stopping as he stared at his surroundings, taking everything in. 

Ponytas were in a pen of limbs for fences while there was another one for several Miltanks and a Tauros who was lazily tearing at the grass, chewing slowly. There were several houses made of the same mason and straw roofs, while others had branches. 

He could see they were bordered by a thick, green forest while a dirt trail snaked through it from the village, making Giovanni wonder where it led to. He could see a large plot of land with dozens of rows of various vegetables with a few figures speckled in the distance, continually plucking plants out of the dirt. 

It felt like he was back in time with unhygienic towns and rich castles, while there were beggars and plague and other undesirable factors held in the world he was now trapped in. He chose a direction and stuck to it, walking while deep in thought. 

"Giovanni!" Came the call of Maxie, who was coming from the barn with two buckets of sloshing milk in each hand. "You're up!" 

"What is going on?" Giovanni asked, exasperated as the Magma leader approached him. 

"Deborah's allowing us to stay the night. We can discuss everything over dinner." 

"Where is everyone else?" 

"Archie's helping check the nets by the river," _There's a river?_ Giovanni thought. "Ghetsis's helping harvest from the garden with Cyrus, and Lysandre is checking the traps in the forest." 

"I can't believe this," Giovanni grumbled, rubbing his face again, detesting the sweat. 

"I know," Maxie sympathized. "We wanted to leave right away, but we can at least figure everything out tonight." 

"It looks like Giovanni's up," came a growl. 

Giovanni turned to see Ghetsis and Cyrus walking over with baskets of vegetables speckled with dirt. Giovanni noticed that the Plasma leader had a significantly less amount than Cyrus. 

"Hello, Giovanni," Cyrus greeted. 

A horn blew at the house, causing the leaders to look at each other, confused. 

"What do you think that means?" Giovanni asked. 

"Beats me," Maxie replied, walking over to where the horn sounded, the others tagging behind. They went around the back, where a fence made of limbs surrounded Deborah, who was setting a horn carved of a Tauros's horn against the house. 

"Where's the blue one?" She asked. "We need him for dinner." 

"Excuse me?" Maxie asked, confused. 

"He's still out fishing," Giovanni dismissed. "Use the stuff the others got you if you're really that distressed." 

Deborah's smile didn't even shimmer in any way as she spoke. 

"You can go check your friend in the forest, the orange one." 

"I'm not checking up on Lysandre's wellbeing," Giovanni snorted. 

"That's an order, son," Deborah said firmly. "Go." 

With a snort, Giovanni decided to save his breath, adjusting his suit and walking to the forest. The walk was a tedious one, but it was relatively short compared to the journey they had when they first arrived at this land. 

"Are you mad, Wildmane?" Came a gasp behind some fat brown trees. 

Giovanni curiously followed the voice to see several men in the forest, some wielding torches, while the rest bore crossbows. There was one discarded on the ground, next to Lysandre, who was kneeling with his hand out. There were several Mightyena pacing around the men, their wild fur mangy and their eyes flashing in the torchlight. 

"They are smart," Lysandre said softly as his open palm was to a Mightyena, who was sniffing it with extreme caution. "They can be your friend." 

"Friend? Ha!" 

The others laughed, causing the Pokémon to growl at the sudden noise, baring sharp fangs. 

"They can understand you if you bond with them enough," Lysandre continued in a low tone. 

"Bond? Wildmane, you're crazier than you look!" 

"Look!" Came a call in the distance, the caller's torch waving like a flag. "I got one!" 

With the clicking of crossbows getting armed, the group hurried to the caller, and Lysandre grabbed his own weapon before tagging along. Still unnoticed, Giovanni followed the Kalosian, looking at the forest around him. It smelled of moss and dirt, and he could hear the wild calls of those living in it; there was something that swooped in the branches above, something on four legs scampered away from him, there was the distance chatter and clinking of metal fading away. 

The Rocket leader hurried to the commotion to see a small Poochyena with its paw stuck in a foothold trap, the metal jaws clutching its front foot, squealing in frightened pitches. 

The moment the wounded Pokémon saw the group, it bared its feet and raised its hackles. 

"It's a small one," a man covered in furs and a giant in appearance, giving him an impression of a bear, said in disappointment while poking the Pokémon with the tip of his crossbow. 

"Let the new guy catch it," a bearded man said, pushing Lysandre encouragingly on the back. "Some meat is better than none." 

"You plan on eating this tiny Poochyena?" 

"No," the bear-man said, looking at the Kalosian. "We kill it and use the meat for bait." 

Lysandre walked to the trap, kneeling down and looking at the Poochyena growling at him, pulling away before blood formed under the fur from the jaws of the trap, and it yelped, loud and shrill. 

He set his crossbow down, looking at the frightened Pokémon before the yelping was accompanied by a cold, low growl. Looking away from his weapon that lay on the grass, he saw himself staring down the growling snout of an angered Mightyena, drool dripping from its teeth. 

There was a collective gasp, and the hunters aiming their crossbows at the Pokémon, who growled louder, bristling and frothing. 

"Don't do that," Lysandre said as he kept staring at the Pokémon, his hands feeling around the trap, running along with the metal before finding the pin, pulling it. 

The trap opened, freeing the Poochyena, who jumped away, limping to the Mightyena. 

"You... let it go," the bearded man said as Lysandre stood up, dusting off his shirt. 

"I did," Lysandre answered. "That pup had no reason to die early." 

He walked with the group away from the traps, and Giovanni saw the Mighyena stand over its pup, watching Lysandre skeptically before picking the puppy in its maw and trotting off, the whimpering fading away. 

"Hey, Giovanni," Lysandre greeted as the Rocket leader watched them stoically. 

"Nice outfit," bear-man said as he looked Giovanni up and down. "You must be from the kingdom." 

Giovanni tried to ask what he meant about a kingdom before everyone perked up suddenly from the sound of a horn getting blown in the distance. 

"We must be late; the manticore will be out," bear-man said urgently. 

"Don't tell me they exist here," Giovanni said in disbelief. 

"They exist all right," some punk in the back said as he held a full burlap sack by the neck. "And if we stay too long, he'll gobble us up." 

"Aren't you trappers? You can just kill it." 

"Oh, no lad," the punk continued. "He'll eat whoever stays in the forest, items and all." 

As they breached the edge of the woods, following the dirt trail to the shabby village. 

"Have you ever seen the manticore before?" Lysandre asked. 

"Yeah," Bear-man said, grinning. "I'm looking at it." 

He gave Lysandre a playful shove in the small of his back, making the Kalosian stumble. He did not take this in bad spirit as those around him chuckled. "He's big, hairy, and a strange sight to the eyes." 

"In seriousness, though, have you seen it?" 

"No, only those who seen it have been devoured." 

Giovanni rolled his eyes. 

"I don't believe this," he said. 

"I know, many people learned to fear the manticore at night. We don't want to die." 

"And unicorns and mermaids exist, too?" Giovanni asked sarcastically. 

"They exist, alright," the punk said quickly. "They just meddle in their own affairs. Although, once, my pal Bucky saw a gryphon in the sky the other day. I trust him." 

"Sure, you do," Bear-man rumbled, causing a small ripple of laughter. 

"Bolvar!" Deborah called from the front steps of her humble house. 

Bear-man broke from the group with Lysandre and Giovanni flanking him. 

"Thank Arceus the manticore did not find you!" 

"We had no luck trapping meat," he said as he embraced his wife, their foreheads connecting. Giovanni heard him speak in a softer tone. "Wildmane doesn't seem to understand the needs for survival." 

"Oh, well, Blue is still at the river with the others, while the others..." 

There was evident discomfort in her voice, and Bolvar the bear-man broke from the embrace, walking inside, the leaders trailing behind. 

Cyrus was looking at a hornbook, reading the charcoal words. Ghetsis was looking around, his eye dissecting everything he looked at. Maxie was glancing out the window. 

"Red one," Bolvar rumbled. "Go to your friend. Pale one—" Cyrus looked up from the hornbook, handing it to the girl appeared from his legs before she took off running in some random direction. "Help set the table." 

* * *

Maxie walked south from the house, stomping through weeds and slapping away the bugs that tried to swarm him. 

"No Pokémon... No map... no sane people..." 

"Maxie!" Archie called, making the Magma leader look up from the swarm of bugs trying to bite his neck to see Archie standing ankle-deep on the bank of a river while several others were leaving, holding nets of fish. "Over here!" 

"Coming, Pirate?" Someone called to Archie, who remained in the water. 

"In a minute!" Archie called back. Curious about what Archie was doing, Maxie stomped over to his pirate friend, waving away the insects. 

"Everyone's waiting for you," Maxie hissed as he approached the pirate. "You should have been back already." 

"I need to talk to you," Archie said, refusing to leave the water as he twisted himself to face Maxie. 

"Now?" 

"Yes, I didn't want to tell anyone else. This is personal." Archie's voice dropped in a low, earnest tone that made Maxie forget the insects clouding around his body and walk over to the bank. He stood on the sodden dirt as he looked at Archie with genuine concern. 

"What's wrong?" 

"When I touched the water..." Archie breathed, rubbing his hand gingerly as he stared ahead intensely. "I had this urge just come over me..." 

"That's _it?"_

"No! This was more serious than it sounds!" 

Maxie folded his arms, looking at Archie with disdain. 

"Touch the water," Archie pushed, seeing the look of disbelief on the Magma leader's face when he was commanded. "Please, Maxie." 

Thankful that the insects didn't follow, Maxie walked as close as he could to the water while still staying on land, leaned over, and dipped the tips of his fingers in the river. 

It was cold and the current painted through his fingers, where he could see twigs and leaves twirl past and small, tiny silver fish that swam in schools. 

"Don't you feel that? Like a sense of..." Archie grabbed inches away from his chest, pulling at the air and distributing it before him. "Calling?" 

Maxie pulled his hand out, stepped back, and wiped his fingers on his jacket. 

"I think you're insane." 

"But Maxie—" 

"I think you have just been on this land for too long," Maxie reasoned politely. "When you finally contacted water, you had a sense of wanting to be free in it again." 

Archie thought his words over, then nodded in agreement. 

"That does make sense..." 

"Come now, we must go back to Deborah's house before she sends someone else after us." 

* * *

The dinner table was crowded. Bolvar took the head of it, his wife and daughter flanking him, while the leaders awkwardly sided alongside each other. Bolvar had shed his furs to reveal a simple tunic underneath dyed an olive green. 

They all had plates loaded with food: freshly-caught fish, slices of beets and carrots, and crusty bread loaves. There were antique pitchers of spirits crammed along with the trays of fish, vegetables, and a basket of bread. 

Ghetsis grabbed the metal cup he was given, took a swig, then almost choked. 

"What _is_ this stuff?" He demanded, trying to look at it. 

Deborah seemed a little surprised at his outburst but gently set her knife down, her fish abandoned mid-slice. 

"Water." 

Bolvar barked a deep, robust laugh. 

"With your apparel, I would assume water is a foreign beverage to you, good fellow?" 

Deborah covered her mouth as she gave a light, fluttery laugh. 

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" 

"He means you might be more attuned to their wine, Ghetsis," Lysandre said in the corner of his mouth before cutting a chunk of fish apart on his plate. 

"It is an honor to stay here," Giovanni said as he ignored the group, turning to Bolvar and his wife. His hands felt hot, and he set down his silverware, itching them. "Thank you for accepting my group and me as... disarrayed as they are." 

"Tell me, Giovanni," Bolvar said as he looked the Rocket leader up and down, which insulted Giovanni as he knew he was physically weaker than the bear-man and had no reason to be examined like that. "Where are you from?" 

"Kanto," Giovanni answered, watching him and Deborah look at each other in confusion. "Do you have a map of this place?" 

"Not here," Deborah said, resuming cutting into her fish. Her eyes flickered up, and she slowed. "Er, Orange, are you alright?" 

Lysandre nodded delicately, lowering his fork and knife. 

"This fish is cooked to excellency," he said airily, tears pricking his eyes. 

Even Ghetsis went silent as no one bought his words except Bolvar and Deborah. The fish was fresh and delicious, they had to agree, but they knew the rich fairs the Kalosian was used to. 

"He choked on a bone," Cyrus said on the Kalosian's behalf, the prongs of his fork piercing a beet slice. 

"Tell me," Bolvar said, taking a sip of the tainted water. 

_Wait until you invent water filters,_ Maxie thought, as he was sitting on one of Ghetsis's sides, deliberately avoiding drinking from his cup. 

"Who are you all?" 

"I am Ghetsis Harmonia Gropius," The Plasma leader started as he rose from his seat, standing tall and proud as a mighty leader would. "And I am the leader of Team Plasma." 

It was apparent that he was about to dive into a monologue, and Archie, who was on his other side, quickly pulled him down, earning a cold glare. 

"Where did you buy the monocle?" 

_"Buy it?!"_ Ghetsis sputtered. "This was specially crafted in the highest tech lab you can find!" 

"That's not—" 

Ghetsis elbowed Archie in the ribs. 

"I am Maxie Matsubusa, and I am the leader of Team Magma. Archie and I are from Hoenn." 

Without warning, the girl started giggling through a mouthful of carrot, finding the word _Hoenn_ humoresque, for some reason. 

"I am Cyrus Akagi, from Sinnoh." 

“Lysandre Fluer-de-lis from Kalos.” 

"Forgive me," Deborah said as she dabbed her lips. "How do you get your hair so..." She looked at Maxie, then to Ghetsis. "So..." She looked at Lysandre's mane and seemed very uncomfortable at its appearance. "So..." She finally rested on Cyrus's hair, and a polite smile appeared on her lips. "Er, personalized and colored like they are?" 

"It just is," Maxie said, who never gave his hair much thought until now. 

"You don't apply anything to it?" She said, delicately eating some fish. 

There was a collective sound of mumbled "no's" and shaking heads, although there were many glances at Lysandre's spiked mane. 

It was Giovanni's turn to investigate as he faced Bolvar and his wife, his hands burning again as he set down his silverware again. 

"This is the Town of the South... Are there other towns? Someone mentioned a kingdom... where are we? What is this place? What time era is this?" 

There was another choked wheeze. 

_"For Arceus's sake, Lysandre!"_ Giovanni roared as he slammed his hands on the table, making everything _clink._

"There are other towns," Bolvar answered as he focused on Giovanni, who turned his attention back to him. "But they are far." 

"You could use Pokémon if you tame them." 

"Only a few monsters will be used, such as the Ponytas for traveling, and Miltanks for milk and Mareep for wool. They are docile and useful, and the only monsters we will use while we keep true animals such as chickens and pigs." 

"You don't befriend them?" 

"Why should we? Those monsters are killers and a danger to my family." 

"You can use them to help you," Giovanni said, a sudden pang of longing welled in his chest as he thought of the unknown location of his noble Persian. He quietly grabbed his fork and knife, thinking of his cat. 

"Is that true, Father?" The girl asked, her eyes lighting up and rising in her seat. "We can tame them?" 

"No, Becca," Bolvar said lightly. "He's just making stories." 

"It's true," Cyrus said as he looked at the family. "They can be tamed." 

"Are you from the future?" Becca asked, her eyes growing wider in youthful excitement. 

She was about thirteen years old, maybe fourteen, and she already had cleared her plate as she watched the men intently. Bolvar and Deborah gave each other shared glances, his hand going on hers. 

"We are," Cyrus said. 

"What's it like?" 

"Mind your manners, Becca," Deborah said. "These men must be tired." 

"We can still talk regardless of our wellbeing," Cyrus said as he set his fork down, looking at Becca. "The future is a flawed place, full of arrogant men and their useless emotions." 

"It has too much water," Maxie responded, waving his bread around. "It has hardly any land." 

He took a mouthful of his crusty loaf, chewed a little, then looked at the bread, trying to identify it. 

"No, it has too much land," Archie said as he raised his cup. "It needs to be washed away!" 

He chugged his water, and everyone gave a look of disgust as they could just imagine the parasites and illnesses he just welcomed in his body. 

"The world is rampant with Pokémon," Ghetsis said, holding his knife tightly. It was level with his face and reflected his other eye. They only saw it as a second, though, as Ghetsis raised it above his head and stabbed the table. "I shall be the only one to have them!" 

"It is an ugly place," Lysandre said as he shook his head, pushing his plate away. The fish was hardly eaten, and it had several bones jutting out of the flesh. "Full of corruption and ruined." 

"We need to go back," Giovanni said, feeling his hands burning, stronger this time. Did he have an allergic reaction? When he looked at them, he saw they were fine. Maybe he touched an unknown plant when he went into the woods after Lysandre. 

"Back to... your worlds?" 

"It's just one world," Giovanni corrected. 

"Why would you want to return?" Becca asked. "It sounds awful." 

"Because we don't belong here," Ghetsis hissed. "Not at all." 

Deborah stood up, collecting everyone's plates, immediately stopping at Cyrus's, which had a few bites taken from it. She looked incredibly offended. 

"You look starved, Blue— Iris." 

"Cyrus," the Galactic leader corrected. "And I eat enough to sustain myself." 

Becca looked shocked, leaning over to speak to him. 

"Clean your plate, sir. If you don't, the monsters will find it and attack the house." 

"Who are the monsters? The Mightyena?" Lysandre asked, pulling his plate back to him. "You should just befriend them." 

"They are savage monsters! They kill the animals here and the people!" Bolvar roared, rising in his seat to be ushered back down by his wife. "This world is untamed, Wildmane, and we must do what we can to survive." 

Deborah looked back to Cyrus, whose plate was completely empty, water and all. 

Becca gave a little giggle as she watched Archie gobble up Cyrus's meal, eating as quickly as he could to be undetected by Deborah. 

"The manticore!" Bolvar said as he rushed to the wall to retrieve a crossbow from a wall. 

"It's here?" Archie said through a mouthful of beets, eyes wide. "Holy Kyogre! They really _do_ come when you don't finish your meals!" 

"Maybe," Bolvar said as he took an arrow from a quiver next to where the weapon was. "You must go to the barn immediately." 

"It's a full moon, too," Deborah said as she took the plates away, walking to a wooden tub. "The werewolf is roaming." 

"There are werewolves, too?!" Archie asked disbelievingly through a mouthful of bread. 

"Hurry, good men, follow me," Bolvar said as he took the quiver, slinging it over his shoulder. 

The six rose and noisily walked over to Bolvar's side, Becca watching them all with great interest. The front door was pushed open, and they walked into the starry darkness of the night. 

Fireflies dotted the air in random patterns, lazily flickering on and off as they pleased. The breeze was slow as it rippled the grass, and the full moon lit coated the ground brightly. The men could see everything clearly as they walked to the barn, a large, wooden building with straw scattered everywhere around it. 

Cyrus looked up at the stars, his eyes unwavering as he analyzed them intently, his lips barely twitching as he named each constellation. The moon seemed dimmed compared to the glittering heavens around it, twinkling mysterious in the blackness around it. 

"Iris," Bolvar said as he noticed one missing from the group he was escorting, turning around to see Cyrus staring at the glowing stars, his thin fingers subconsciously rubbing the palm of his other hand. Bolvar spoke in a low whisper, making everyone look around as if they might be attacked from somewhere from the grass. "Have you gone mad? You'll be gobbled up for sure." 

"Cyrus," Giovanni said, walking over and causing several fireflies to hover away. "You need to walk together with us." 

"The constellations are absolutely glorious," Cyrus breathed, rubbing his hand. 

"They are pretty, yes," Giovanni said impatiently, looking up to the sky. The stars were bright but dimmed instantly at the view of the vast, bright moon. Giovanni could see the shadows on the moon, even the craters embedded on it. His fingers burned a little, but he felt a strong urge pulling his chest as if the moon was beckoning him to join it. 

Bolvar turned to see that Giovanni failed in retrieving the Galactic leader, both of them rubbing their own hands as if it was some weird calling for them to do so when staring at the sky. 

"Get over here!" He barked angrily, quickly putting a hand to his mouth before looking around. Something big shifted through the grass, rustling nearby. Bolvar aimed his crossbow at the noise while Maxie hurried to the two, tugging them harshly on their sleeves, breaking them of their trance. 

"Let's go!" He hissed, yanking them to the group, where Bolvar was aimed to shoot, his bow aimed at the tall grass. 

Bolvar forcefully shoved everyone into the barn, making them stumble onto the straw-covered floor. 

"Leave at your own risk," he warned, glaring at them irritably before firmly shutting the door. 

It smelled of hay and manure, and straw was cluttered every spot of the barn. It was trampled into the ground, and piles were stuffed in the corners. Dozing Miltanks were in their own stables, while there was a sleepy moo every now and then. 

"I'm not sleeping in here," Lysandre said as he took one look at his surroundings, quickly shaking his head. 

"It's not that bad," Archie counseled. "It's just one night, after all." 

After quite a chunk of time was dedicated to convincing Lysandre and a very disrespectful Ghetsis to sleep in the barn, all six laid on the hay, distancing themselves from each other. The moonbeam slowly traveled from one corner of the barn to the other, leaking through holes in the roof. 

"Maxie?" Archie asked as he lay on his back, hands clasped on his stomach. 

"Hm?" Maxie asked, laying on his side while resting his head on his arm. 

"Did you get... a calling in you today?" 

"No." 

"I did not either," Lysandre said from somewhere in the far corner. 

"Perhaps it's the stones," Archie said. "They must have done something about it." 

"Then why were you, Giovanni, and Cyrus the only ones who experienced it?" 

"I don't know. It just.... came over me." 

They were quiet as something a Miltank suddenly bellowed, nervous. Heavy paws approached the barn doors, which shook slightly as it was pushed repeatedly. Archie sat up while Cyrus's eyes opened in the darkness, the moonlight making them shine. 

It went quiet, then prolonged scratching came from high above as if the beast went on its rear legs and ran its claws all the way to the bottom. 

No one said a word as they looked at each other in the sparse moonlight; it seemed that no one could sleep. 

"The manticore?" Archie asked in less of a whisper, looking at everyone around him. 

"Or werewolf," Maxie mouthed. 

Everything went silent, and everyone became too alert to sleep. The time rolled on, the Miltank calming in her pen. 

By the time dawn approached, everyone was asleep in the positions they were awake in; Archie had rolled over on his side, while Maxie was sitting up in the bed of straw, leaning against the wall; Ghetsis mimicking his position. Cyrus was laying on his back, hands on his stomach as he was laying right under the biggest hole in the roof where the stars could be observed; Lysandre refused to lay on a mess of hay, sitting in the corner, elbows on his knees and his head dipped in his arms. 

They all were awakened by a loud pounding on the door, making it shake. 

"Good Arceus, what happened here?" Bolvar asked as he spoke behind the doors before opening them. "Wake up, good men!" 

Disgruntled, fatigued, and smelling strongly of a barn, the six men were ushered to the house but were stopped outside at the side of the building. 

"You asked for a map," Bolvar said as he faced them all. "We do not have any." 

"You brought us here for _that?"_ Ghetsis hissed. 

"The kingdom will be your best chance." 

"Where is that?" Lysandre asked. 

"Up North, to the mountains." 

"We better not be walking there," Giovanni said. 

"We have a horse," Bolvar offered. "We have a wagon set up for you. We loaded it ourselves." 

"Your generosity is greatly appreciated," Lysandre thanked. "We will do our best to repay you." 

Deborah came to the group, leading a thin brown horse with a black tail and mane pulling a wooden cart behind it, loaded with sacks of supplies. 

"What is that? A rare Ponyta?" Maxie asked, walking to the horse, his hand outstretched to its velvety muzzle. 

"Oh, no," Deborah laughed, watching everyone's curious expressions. "It's a horse. Ponytas are used, but they are risky to have as they can burn down the barns." 

"Horse..." Maxie echoed, placing his hand on the Arabian's muzzle. 

"Do you... not have animals in the future?" Bolvar asked as Maxie pressed his head to the horse's, breathing in each other's breath. Archie noticed that Maxie started rubbing his hand that held the stone as he spoke to the horse, which seemed to understand him. 

"No, only Pokémon," Archie answered while watching Maxie communicate with the horse. 

"What are Po-Kay-Mon, again?" 

"Pokémon," Archie repeated. "You know... Pocket Monsters?" 

Bolvar turned to Deborah, who looked just as confused as he was. 

"Here," Archie slapped his belt to remember all his Pokéballs were gone, along with everyone else's. "Never mind. It's a... future thing." 

"I miss my Pyroar," Lysandre said with longing. 

Giovanni didn't like not knowing where his Persian was, quickly shutting away sentimentality. He knew it would go downhill if he allowed himself to contemplate their situation and missing Pokémon. 

"Let's go," he said aggressively, walking over to Maxie and yanking him back, breaking the bizarre trance between the Magma leader and the horse, making it tilt its head back and nervously whinny. 

"What happened?" Maxie asked, brushing away Giovanni's grip from his sleeve. 

"You had the urge," Archie said with a spark in his eyes. Maxie looked at his hand then to the pirate, understanding what Archie was talking about for the strange calling. 

"You have a long day ahead of you," Bolvar said. "It's best you leave for the kingdom as soon as you can." 

Everyone started piling onto the cart while Maxie volunteered to steer the horse. 

"Stay on the trail. It will lead you to the kingdom!" Bolvar called out to the cart that started moving, Maxie bobbing on the horse's back with each step. 

"Thank you once more!" Lysandre called out as the couple waved goodbye, disappearing into the distance while the team was guided into the woods, the horse faithfully staying on the trail. The world around them darkened with the trees blocking the sun in variations of time in their travels. The woods smelled of moss and dirt, and Giovanni again had no care for it. Birds chirped in the sky, darting in the branches and vanishing from sight. The wagon creaked along, bumping along every root, knot, and hole on the ground, making for a very bumpy, stiff ride. 

"So, you and Cyrus have a thing for the sky," Archie said as he leaned forward in the cart, hay still stuck to the back of his bandana, twisting in the breeze. "Maxie is for animals, and I felt the urge with water. Do you think it's the stone's doing?" 

"I would say yes to that," Giovanni agreed, thinking. "There's no reason it isn't." 

"Then why haven't I felt anything?" Lysandre asked. "And Ghetsis, too?" 

"Maybe we're just special?" Archie asked, shrugging. 

"Hey, maybe the kingdom will have information on the temple!" 

There was a growl in the distance, and the horse slowed, nervously bouncing off its front legs, tossing its mane. 

"It's just a wolf," Maxie said to everyone, including the horse. Everyone turned to see a huge beast that looked like a Mightyena, but had no markings on it; it was a dark grey all around. It even had a pup at its side, staring at the horse with dark brown eyes. 

"Wolf?" Archie asked, twisting himself to look at the animal. "What's that?" 

Ghetsis stared at the wolf and the cub, his eye narrowing. Everyone went quiet as Ghetsis continued to watch the parent and its child as Maxie cajoled the horse into passing them. The Plasma leader watched them pass, the trance fading away when the animals disappeared entirely from view. 

He noticed everyone staring at him and curled his lip. 

"What are you all staring at?" 

"Nothing," Archie lied, breaking into a smile. "I'm just excited to reach the kingdom." 

"Me too," Lysandre said thoughtfully. "I hope we reach it soon." 

"I'm sure we'll get there in a day or two," Archie said cheerfully. "After all, what can _possibly_ go wrong?" 


End file.
